Official Federal Data
Franklin County, Kentucky
FIPS 21073 · Frankfort, KY · Population 51,842
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$65,298 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.1% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$4.6B ▲
GDP
31.9% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$65,298 ▲
Per Capita
$39,218 ▲
Mean Household
$88,985 ▲
Poverty Rate
13.6% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Franklin County$65,298
Kentucky$63,726
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21%
18-34 · 22.2%
35-54 · 24.9%
55-64 · 13.3%
65+ · 18.7%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
92.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.2 pts
31.9%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 3.8 pts
13.1%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 1.0 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
51,842
Population
26,372
Labor Force
Employed
24,747
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.1% ▼ 0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 6 min below national avg
20.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.2%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Administrative and Support and Waste Management employs 4,270 workers (22% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $52,226.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $4.6B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $108,462 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $23,815, a 4.6x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Administrative & Support & Waste Management Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
4,201
Cluster Employment
2.18x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
2.58x 1,014
Administrative and Support Services
2.18x 4,201
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
1.53x 497
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.14x
Management of Companies and Enterprises
83 employed
0.21x
Educational Services
153 employed
0.24x
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
63 employed
0.29x
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
126 employed
0.30x
Real Estate
125 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Transportation Equipment Manufacturing concentrates at 2.58x the national norm.
- Cluster depth: 3 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$216,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$967 ▲
Rent/Mo
64.5% ▲
Owner-Occ
6% ▼
Vacancy
3.3x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$747/mo
1 Bedroom
$859/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,083/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,410/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,680/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,632/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.3x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,632/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
31,282 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 6 min below national avg
20.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.2%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.7%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
31.9% ▲
HS Diploma+
92.8% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
35,189/yr
8,890/yr
6,956/yr
5,751/yr
5,011/yr
4,485/yr
4,096/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
22%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
43%
Service
14.5%
Sales & Office
19.8%
Construction / Maint.
6.7%
Production / Transport
16%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 24,747 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 20.0-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 21,597 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Franklin County shows emerging potential for transportation equipment manufacturing attraction, with a 2.58x concentration and 1,014 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across transportation equipment manufacturing, administrative and support services, and religious, grantmaking, civic, professional orgs creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Franklin County, Kentucky, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Franklin County, Kentucky?
51,842 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Franklin County, Kentucky?
$65,298 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Franklin County, Kentucky?
4.1% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Franklin County, Kentucky?
$4.6B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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